Introduction
The introduction is the premiere of Mass Effect: A Hero's Legacy. Summary * Timeline: December 3, 2186 The Crucible was activated, emanating a reddish hue that soon shot from the Citadel to the Mass Relay network. From all corners of the galaxy, the Reapers fell one-by-one. The cycle of extinction that occurs every 50,000 years was finally brought to an end. Plot "The war is over. The Reapers have been defeated. Against all odds, and in the face of the greatest threat this galaxy has ever known, we survived. We suffered many losses. The relays are severely damaged, but we won. This victory belongs to each of us... every man, woman, and child. Every civilization, on every world. Now, as we take our first steps toward restoring what we lost, we must remember what it took to win. This wasn't a victory by a single fleet, a single army, or even a single species. If this war has taught us anything, it is that we are at our strongest when we work together. And if we can put down our grievances long enough to stop something as powerful as the Reapers, imagine what we can achieve now that they are defeated. It will take time, but we can rebuild everything that was destroyed. Our homes, our worlds, our fleets and defenses. All of this - and more. Together, we can build a future greater than any one of us could imagine. A future paid for by the sacrifices of those who fought and died alongside us. A future that many will never see. And while we still have many challenges ahead of us... We can face them together. And we will honor those who died to give us that future." ---- After the end of the Reaper invasion, the galaxy's civilizations are enjoying a new era of peace. On an unnamed garden world, the ''Normandy'' crew who survived the crash landing gathered solemnly at an assembly on Deck 3, quietly lowering their heads honoring the memory of all the people who gave their lives in the war. Among the more noticable crew standing in front row across from the memorial wall were Ashley, Joker, Garrus, Tali, James, Liara, Javik, Samantha and Steve. All of them had just finished adding the recent casualty to the wall: Admiral David Edward Anderson. A respected war hero, one of the first N7 Special Forces operatives, the first human Citadel Councilor and father-figure to his troops, the news of Anderson's death shocked and saddened both human and alien civilians and military personnel alike. Ashley stepped forward holding a second name plaque in her hands, one that reads "COMMANDER SHEPARD". For just a brief moment, she stopped and looked down. Slowly and softly, Ash brushed her hand across the plaque before looking up towards the Memorial Wall again. As she stared blankly into nowhere, something in her gut told her not to do it. It was too soon. The Normandy crew was among those who wanted to believe that their captain was still out there, but there was some growing discontent among the staff who wanted the others to accept the terms of reality. Recalling Shepard's confession of love to her just moments prior to launching an assault on Cerberus headquarters, Ashley hesitates to put the Commander's name on the memorial wall, eventually refusing to do so―causing the squad to look at the second human Spectre in surprise. With a renewed sense of determination, Ashley orders Joker to prep the Normandy for departure ASAP, with the idea of returning to Earth. With that, the flight lieutenant limped his way towards the elevator. The other soon followed, leaving Ash behind for a few moments. Concurrently, Alliance Command have not been able to verify the whereabouts of Commander John Shepard, himself. He was among those listed as MIA. It was several hours since the search began and many beseeched Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett to declare him killed in action, but Hackett refused. Back on the badly damaged Citadel, a rescue party searching for Shepard finds him buried under a pile of rubble, and they radio in to say that they have a visual on the Commander. Shepard later takes a gasping breath, showing to have survived the Crucible's blast. Upon noticing this, the leader of the group demands an immediate medical evacuation. Characters *Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams *Major Coats *Falere *Engineer Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels *Garrus Vakarian *Lieutenant James Vega *Jack *Jacob Taylor *Javik *Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau *Commander John Shepard (Briefly) *Kasumi Goto *Engineer Kenneth "Ken" Donnelly *Legion (Appears in flashback(s)) *Dr. Liara T'Soni *Miranda Lawson *Dr. Mordin Solus (Appears in flashback(s)) *Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor *Samara *Lieutenant Steve Cortez *Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett (Voice only) *Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy *Thane Krios (Appears in flashback(s)) *Urdnot Grunt *Urdnot Wrex *Zaeed Massani Category:MarkRulez711 Category:Articles by MarkRulez711 Category:Stories Category:Short Stories